MidLife Crisis Articles

We’ve all heard of the mid-life crisis. We imagine a middle-aged man revving up his motorcycle, or a couple buying a new car to make themselves look young. While this does happen, in reality, the mid-life crisis usually revolves around our regrets, and an effort to accomplish as much as we can before we are too old to do so.

You’ll find articles that talk more about the mid-life crisis phenomenon. What are its symptoms? What can someone do to help relieve their mid-life crisis? Is middle-age really all that bad, or is it some of the best years of your life? You can find these answers and much more.

Many people understand the basic idea of a midlife crisis. You may imagine the middle-aged man revving up his Harley in an attempt to feel young again. You may...

Midlife Crisis
A midlife crisis occurs when you are transitioning from the first part of your life into the next when you’re getting older. When we’re young, we’re more apt to do whatever we want. We’re carefree, and take on new adventures. As we grow up, it becomes more difficult to take risks and be carefree because we may have had children, gotten used to a demanding job, or taken on other responsibilities that make it hard to get up and go. They may take precedence over feeling like you can do anything, and like you are on top of the world. Still, when you reach the middle of your life, you still want to feel that freedom. You want to feel carefree again, and that’s where the midlife crisis comes in.
What is a midlife crisis?
A midlife crisis happens when you want to experience everything that you want to while you still can, but feel like your time is “running out.” You often hear the term “midlife crisis” and think of the man that buys his hot, new, red convertible dream car because he wants to feel young. He wants to feel that carefree feeling of taking a risk. That’s what a midlife crisis is: it’s the feeling that you need to make all of the risks and do all of the things that you want to before you exit the world. You’re realizing that one day you won’t be here, so you experience a sense of panic and urgency paired with the desire to make sure that you get the most out of your life. Whether that’s taking a trip to Bermuda or buying a convertible, that is the nature of a midlife crisis.
Identity
People may begin to feel trapped by the confines of societal expectations. They might feel stuck in their career until they retire. They may want to change who they are so they can achieve the goals that were set out for themselves years ago but may have forgotten about, and so they start to get anxious. The anxiety they experience results in a mid-life crisis. They want to find out who they are before they don’t have a chance to explore those identity issues any longer.
What does someone do when they experience a midlife crisis?
Each person reacts to a mid-life crisis in a unique way. There’s no one way to have a midlife crisis. A person experiencing one could respond to many ways. They might do something drastic that no one in their life saw coming like shaving their head, sell their house, get a giant tattoo or go on a trip around the world. They may change careers, get a divorce, go on a reckless spending spree. No one action defines a midlife crisis. The point is that an individual is experiencing some identity crisis, and they question or want to find out who they are. So, they do that by embarking on new adventures in life to feel like the most youthful and free-spirited versions of themselves.
Returning to adolescent years
When you’re a teenager, you are exploring your identity and who you are. Then, you enter adulthood, and your identity solidifies. Life is a little less carefree than before. There’s something similar to this feeling that occurs during a midlife crisis because you feel that there’s a part of yourself as an individual that is untapped and unexplored. Maybe, you even develop new thrill-seeking urges that you’ve never had before. You might not know what you want to do in this next chapter of your life and you might not understand why you’re feeling stir-crazy or stagnant, which is why talking about these feelings and thoughts in counseling can be helpful.
How counseling can help
Whether you’re talking to an online counselor or a mental health professional in your local area, it’s important to discuss your experiences during a midlife crisis because you do not want to make dramatic actions or mistakes that could negatively affect you or your family. Talking to a therapist or counselor in your local area or online gives you a place to discuss what’s changing within you before you make any lasting decisions. Search through the network of counselors and therapists at BetterHelp who can help you through this challenging time.

The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.

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